1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for therapeutically treating the human body and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for relieving discomfort and pain in the back, spine and neck of a human patient.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The essence of the invention disclosed in my prior in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,691 (referred to herein as the '691 patent”) is the alternating application of compression and traction forces to the body of a patient to therapeutically treat the patient's back. A treatment table has a longitudinally slidable upper body pad for supporting the upper back, shoulders and head of a supine patient, and freely rotatable transversely extending rollers for supporting the lower back, buttocks and thighs of the patient. A selectively controlled, motor driven, movable platform is adapted to engage the feet of the patient. A reversible electric motor longitudinally reciprocates the movable foot platform a pre-selected distance, adjustable by the patient, to sequentially and repetitively place the patient in tension and compression. The spacing between the upper body support pad and the motor-driven foot support platform is adjustable to accommodate differences in patient torso lengths. The magnitude of the compression and traction forces can be selectively controlled by the patient. The table is easily deployed for use and is optimally collapsible into a unit that is easily hand-carried by a patient while traveling.
A commercial embodiment of the invention described my prior patent (the BackPro CPM Motorized Table) was constructed of 1″×2″ aluminum tubing, and by welding the table corners. This necessitated Heliarc welding, an expensive, time-consuming process that took over two hours per machine because of the sixty-four locations to be welded. Heliarc welding typically costs in excess of $65.00 per hour.
In addition, the BackPro CPM Motorized Table used a complex operating system consisting of a cable drive activated by a reversing motor controlled by micro-switches and relays. It is desirable, both from a reliability perspective and for user-friendly considerations to simplify this function.
The method used in the BackPro CPM Motorized Table to hold the patient's feet in the molded box involved a t-bar hinged at the bottom and maintained against the foot with force applied against the t-bar by a threaded handle. This proved to be not very effective and was, in fact, ultimately replaced with two straps that went over the feet and around posts attached to the motor box. That strapping method, while holding the feet in place, also meant that the patient, who likely had a sore back to begin with, had to bend forward and stretch to strap his/her feet in place.